Read Online The Case That Time Forgot by Tracy Barrett - Free Book Online

it’s a church.”
    A church? It hardly seemed likely that someone would hide a clue about a missing Egyptian amulet in a house of worship. Still, you never knew.
    The rain started up again, and this time itwas more than a drizzle. They ran up the stairs and through the large door into the building.
    They were greeted by the sound of music and people standing at their pews. A service was just starting. “We can’t go in now,” Xena whispered. “It’s not respectful. Let’s find someplace to get out of the rain and come back later.”
    On the porch again, they surveyed the street. They’d have to run through a large open space to get to shelter, but there appeared to be some shops around the corner.
    â€œLet’s go that way.” Xena pointed to the right. “We’ll stop at the first place where we can sit down and figure things out.”
    Fortunately they came upon a pub almost immediately. They ducked inside, water pouring off them, and hung their wet things on hooks by the door.
    â€œPhew!” Karim said, surveying the crowd. “We’re not the only ones getting out of the rain.”
    Xena spotted a couple getting up from a table and managed to snag three seats for them.
    â€œSo what’s going on?” Karim asked.
    Xena and Xander filled him in on the phone call, the strange person they’d seen lurking around the obelisk, and, most of all, the new clue about the needle.
    â€œWow!” Karim’s eyes sparkled.
    â€œThe real question,” Xena went on seriously, “is who could be after the amulet?”
    The man wiping the counter swiped at their table with a damp cloth. They ordered cocoa. “What brings you kiddies out in this weather?” he asked.
    â€œWe’re—um, we’re looking for something,” Xander said.
    â€œIt’s kind of a scavenger hunt,” Xena added. She thought that if they mentioned a missing Egyptian amulet, the man would think they were either crazy or making fun of him. And in a way, it
was
a scavenger hunt.
    â€œOho, so you need to bring something back that proves you were here?” The man seemed pleased by the idea, so Xena didn’t want to contradict him. She smiled in what she hoped was a neutral way.
    â€œHere, take one of these.” He picked up a coaster from the next table and handed it to her. On it was written the name of the pub, The Cat and Crown, and below it, “R. S. Collins, proprietor.”
    Xander said, “Thank you, Mr. Collins.”
    â€œOh, I’m not Mr. Collins!” He laughed. “Mr. Collins passed away years ago, poor old soul.No, I just work here. The proprietor is his widow, Mrs. Rosie Collins. She’s not here today, but the pub’s been in her family for over a hundred years.”
    Xena wasn’t paying attention. She was staring at the coaster.
    A large group left, and the waiter went to clear their table. As soon as he was out of earshot, Xena said, “Look at that!” She pointed to the pub’s logo.
    â€œSo what?” Xander asked. “Lots of pubs and restaurants have strange names—like The Slug and Lettuce.”
    â€œTurk’s Head,” offered Karim.
    â€œThe Green Man.”
    â€œThe Bishop’s Finger.”
    â€œThe—”
    â€œNot the name,” Xena broke in. “I mean, not that the name is strange. It’s the picture—it’s a cat wearing a crown! Bastet is the cat goddess—and in this restaurant she’s a queen. A ruler! This is where Bastet rules!”
    Karim studied the coaster. “What about the rest of it—she Bastet rules?”
    â€œI don’t know,” Xena admitted. “But I bet we’ll find out. It’s got to be the same place!”

CHAPTER NINE
    A nything else, kids?” The waiter had come back with three mugs of steaming cocoa while they were talking. Xena looked at Xander as though to say,
You’re on!
The